Boiler washing and filling system.



'F. W. MILLER.

BOILER WASHING AND FILLING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 27, 1912.

1, 109,354, Patented Sept. 1, 1914.

' I 2 SHEBTSSHBET 1.

/ I /l 1// I 1222228125; v- NVENTOR: MM {pf OMMW y F. W. MILLER.

BOILER WASHING AND FILLING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 27, 1912.

1,109,354, I Patented Sept. 1,1914.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WITNESSES! onrrnn STATES, PATENT oFFIoE.

FRANK W. MILLER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO CLARENCE D.

BAUERS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. 1

BOILER WASEING AND FILLING SYSTEM.

T (171 whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK IV. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boiler lashing and Filling Systems, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to boiler washing and fillingsystems and a'ims in general to utilize the heat of the blow-off products of a boiler for heating water to suitable temperatures for washout and refilling purposes.

One of the primary objects of the present invention is to effect a saving in the amount of water employed in washing out boilers by, collecting the wash water from the,

.roundhouse pits and, subsequently, utilizing this water again, after it has been cleansed, for washout purposes, thereby effecting considerable economy over the operation ofplants in which the wash water from the roundhouse pits is permitted to escape to the sewer.

Another object is to heatthe wash water in the washing water reservoir by means of hot blow-oil water and, at the sametime, to

prevent contamination of the washing water by the dirty blow-ofl" water, this result being accomplished by passing the blow-off water through the washing water reservoir in a closed coil so that itis not permitted to mingle with the washingwater.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent as the invention is better understood by reference to the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, on whichv Figure 1 is adiagrammatic side eleva tion ofa boiler washing and filling system embodying my in've ntion; and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a modified arrangement.

Referring to the drawingsand, particularly, to Fig. 1, 5 indicates a washing. water reservoir and 6 a refilling water reservoir.

In thismodification the two reservoirs are embodied in a single tank divided by a partition 7. The roundhouse is equipped with theusual blow-offline 8, washout line 9 and refilling line 11, which are connected ad jacent each pit of the roundhouse with suitable drop terminals 12 and through which communication is established with the locomotives to be blown off, cleaned and refilled.

Specification of Letters fa tent.

Application filed May 27, 1912. Serial N 0. 700,045.

Ordinarily the wash water which flows from the boilers being washed into the pits 13 is conducted to a sewer and permitted to escape, but my present invention contemplates the savin of this wash water and the utilization of the same again for'washout purposes. To this end I have provided a sump 14v to which the wash water is conducted from the'pits by a conduit 15. In order that the water may be cleansed before being used again, I provide a settling chamber 16 into which the wash water is first discharged and wherein the scale, sludge,- mud and other heavy sediment is settled, so that'the water flowing through. the partition 17 into the sump proper is comparaof this construction, cleansed and then delivered to the washing water reservoir where it is heated and then delivered by a Wash-. out pump 23 which receives its suction through the pipe24 to the washout main 9. The pump suction may be controlled by a hand-valve 25 in the usual manner. Since the quantity of wash water in the sump may sometimes be insufiicie'nt for washout purposes, I have provided an auxiliary water supply pipe 26 adapted to deliver water to the washing water reservoir. A' valve 27 interposed in the ipe 26 and automatically controlled by a oat 28 located in a float chamber 29 connected with the washing water reservoir controls the supply of water tained in the reservoir. A suitable overflow pipe 31 is provided for the reservoir and the inner end of the pipe is extended down- .wa'rdly beneath the water level to prevent Patented Sept. ll, 1914;

so that a predetermined water level is mainfrom the reservoir. The overflow pipe com-' nuinicates with the sewer 34 through a suitable connecting pipe 35.

In the present system the washout waterin the washing water reservoir is heated by the blOw-ofi water from the locomotives but, instead of using the blow-oft water directly for wash water as is done in some systems, I prefer to utilize the heat units of the blowot'f water without using the water itself, thus .prcventing contamination of the washout water by the sludge, scale-and other undesirable substances contained in the blow-off water. I, therefore, conduct the lilow-ofi' water through the washing water reservolr in a closed coil 36 by means of which the heat of the blow-ofi water is conveyed to the water in the reservoir without mingling the blow-off water therewith. The delivery end of the coil is connected with the pipe 35 through which the water is discharged to the sewer. In order to remove the larger pieces of scale and sludge from the blow-ofi water so that the same will not accumulate in the coil 36 and clog it up, I prefer to connect the blow-off main with a scale pocket or i sludge chamber 37 into which the blow-oflf water is directl Y discharged and from which it flows through the pipe 38 to the coil 36. A discharge pipe 39 controlled by a handvalve 41 permits the-deposit in the scale pocket to be discharged directly to the sewer whenever it may become necessary or desirable to clean the scale pocket. It will be noted that the intake end of the pipe 33 projects downwardly in the scale pocket beneath the water level so that any blow-ofl steam'which maybe discharged into the scale pocket will be prevented from escaping to the sewer through the coil.

The blow-ofi steam is conducted from the the filling water reservoir 6 where it is discharged beneath the surface of the water through a plurality of branches 43 for the purpose of heating this water; The refilling water before it is supplied to the refilling reservoir 6 is preliminarily heated in a feed water heater 44 by exhaust steam from the refilling and washout pumps and from the power house delivered to the heater through the pipe 45. lVater is supplied to the heater through a supply pipe 46 equipped with a float valve 47 which is controlled from a float 4S situated in a float chamber 49 communicating with the heater, asshown. A pipe 51 conducts the water which'is preliminarily heated in the heater 44 to the filling reservoir 6 and a branch pipe 52 also conducts water to the power boilers, the heater 44 thereby serving both as a preliminary heater for the filling water and also as a feed water heater for the power boilers. The steam rising uncondensed from the feed water heater is conducted by a pipe 53 to the pipe 42 by which it is delivered through the branches 43 to the water in the filling water reservoir for heating the same, thereby utilizing all of the exhaust steam. A vent pipe 54 equipped with a safety or excess pressure valve 55 serves to permit the escape of steam when the pressure in the feed water heater and filling water reservoir reaches a predetermined point. In order to prevent the water in the filling water reservoir from falling below a predetermined temperature in the event of a' deficiency in the supply of exhaust steam or blow-off steanul have provided a pipe 56 connected with a live steam supply pipe 57 through which live steam may be admitted to the filling water reservoir. A thermostat valve 58-, controlled from the thermostat 59 withiirthe filling water reservoir, permits theadmission of steam when the temperature of the water falls below a predetermined point. A; similar pipe 61 discharging into the washing water reservoir is connected with the power house exhaust pipe 45, the admission of steam to the washin trolled by a thermostat valve 62 actuated from a thermostat 63 in the washing water reservolr. In order that either live or 8X7 haust steam may be supplied to both the washout and refilling water reservoirs, I have connected the pipes 61 and 56 by a connecting pipe 64 equipped with a handvalve 65 which may be opened, to permit exhaust steam to be supplied to the filling water reservoir through the pipe 56, or, to

permit live steam to be supplied to the wash ing water'reservoir and, also, to the feed water heater, if desired. A check-valve 66 interposed 111 the power house exhaust pipe 45 prevents live steam from flowing back toward. the power house when the valve 65 is opened.

A circulating pipe 67 is connected-with the end of the washout main and returns to the washing water reservoir so that a continuous circulation of the Wash water is maintained by the pump 23. A similar circulating pipe 68 is connected with the end of the refilling main 11 and discharges into the top of the feed water heater 44, so that a continuous circulation of the water in the refilling main is maintained by the refilling pump 69 which receives its suct10n from the filling water reservoir 6 through a pipe 71. The suction to this pump may be controlled by the valve 70 in the usual manner. The washing water reservoir and the filling water reservoir are connected with the pipe 35 by means of a g respectively, through which these reservoirs maybe cleaned out when desired.

The {system disclosed in Fig. 2, is substantially similar to that disclosed in Fig. 1 and the operation is practically identical. The washout- ,and refilling water reservoirs 5 and 6,.however, are'constructed independently of eachother and may be mounted side by side as shown in Fig. 2, this arrangement being preferable in some installations where the small space wlll not permit the installationof a long'tank such as is disclosed in Fig. 1; The feed water heater 4i,-in this instance, also is mounted above the filling water reservoir 6 and the set: tling tank 16, instead of being made a part ofthe sump 14,-, is constructed separately therefrom and connected therewith by a pipe 7 5. In other respects the systems are substantially alike except for such changes in the pipe connections and position and arrangement of pipes as is required by the different disposition of the reservoirs and heater.

. In the operation of my improved system the wash water from a locomotive which is discharged-into the pits is collected in the sump 14 from which it is delivered to the washing water reservoir 5v after being cleansed, wherein it is heated by the blow- .ofi water passing through the coil 36, after which it is delivered to the washout line by the pump 23. A predetermined temperature of the washout water is maintained by live or ezihaust steam admitted through the pipe 61. The refilling Water is preliminarily heated in the feed water heater 44 from which it is delivered" to the filling water reservoir 6 where it is further heated by the blow-oil steam delivered thereto by is delivered to the refillin the pipe'42, the temperature of thiswater being maintained by live or exhaust steam admitted by the pipe 56. The filling water main by. the pump 69 and a circulation is maintained in both the washout andrefilling mains through the circulating mains 67 and 68.

It is believed that my invention will be understood from the fore oing without further description and, while I have shown and described preferred constructions and arrangements of pipes, it will be obvious that various modifications in details of construction may be resorted to within the scope of my invention and without sacrificing any of its material advantages.

I claim: 1

1. In a boiler washing andfillingsystem, the combination of a washing water reservoir, a filling water reservoir, means for supplying water to said washing water reservoir, means for supplying water to said filling water reservoir, a blow-off main, means for separating the blow-ofi steam and water, means for conducting the separated blow-off steam to the refilling reservoir to heat the water therein, and means for conducting the sepa-. rated blow-off water through the washing water reservoir to heat the washing water therein without mingling the blow-ofi water therewith.

2. In a boiler washing and filling system, the combination of a washingwater reservoir, a filling water reservoir, a feed water heater,- means for delivering water from said feed water heater to the-filling water reservoir, means for supplyingwater to the washing water reservoir, means for conducting blow-off steam to the filling water reservoir for heating the water therein, means for through the washing water reservoir for heating the water therein without mingling the blowoff water therewith, means for delivering" water from the washing water neservoir to a roundhouse for washout purposes, and means for delivering water from the filling water reservoirto a roundhouse for refilling purposes.

3. Ina boller washing and filling system, the combination of a washing water reservoir,-a sump, roundhouse plts, means for conducting washout water from the roundhouse pits to said sump, means for delivering water from said sump to the washing water reservoir, and a closed coil disposed in said washing water reservoir whereby blow-ofi water from a boiler is conducted throughsaid reservoir to heat the water therein without being mingled withsaid water.

4;. In a boiler washing and filling system, the combination of a washing water reser voir, a sump, roundhouse pits, means for conducting washout water from the roundhouse pits to said sump, means for delivering water from said sump to the washing water reservoir, an auxiliary pipe for supplying water to said washing water reservoir, means for conducting blow-oil steam and water from a locomotive boiler, and means for separating the blow-off water from the blowoif steam'and conducting said water through the washing water reservoir, whereby the washing water 1n said reservoir is heated from the blow-off water of the boiler with out being mingled therewith.

5. In a boiler washing and filling system, the combination of a washing water reservoir, a filling water reservoir, means for supplying water to said filling water reservo r, a sump, roundhouse its, means for conducting washout water mm the roundhouse pits to said sump, means for deliver-' ing water from the sump to said washing water reservoir, means for min ling blowofi' steam with the water in the fi lling water reservoir to heat the same, and means for conducting blow-ofl' water conducting blow-off water through the water in the washing water reservoir to heat the same Without mingling the blo'w-ofi' water therewith.-

6. In a boiler'washing and filling system, the combination of a washing water reser-' voir, a filling water reservoir, a feed water heater, a pipe for supplying exhaust steam to said feed water heater,a pipe for conducting partially heated water from said feed water heater to thefilling water reservoir, roundhouse pits, a sump adapted to receive water from the" roundhouse pits, means for cleansing said roundhouse water, a.

pump for delivering water=from said sump t0 the -washing water reservoir, means for conveying blow-off steam te-the filling water reservoir for heating the water therein, means for conducting blow-off Water through the washing water reservoir to heat the washing water without being mingled therewith, means for delivering water from said washing water reservoir to a roundhouse for washout purposes, means for delivering water from the filling water reservoir to a roundhouse for refilling purposes,

and means for maintaining a circulation in the washout and refilling lines. D

7. In a boiler washing and filling system, the combination of a Washing water reservoir, a refilling water reservoir, a sludge chamber, a blow-ofl line connected with said sludge chamber, meansifor conducting blowoif water from said sludge chamber through said washing water reservoir without mixing the same with the water in the reser voir, a pipe connected with the blow-off line for conducting blow-off steam to said refilling water reservoir, means for supplying clean fresh water to said refillmg water reservoir,

aheater for preliminarily'heating the water delivered to said refilling Water reservoir, a sump, round house plts connected with said sump, means for dehverlng water'from said sump to said Washing water reservoir, a re-,

filling line connected to said filling water reservoir, and a washout 11116 connected to said washmg water reservoir.

FRANK MILLER. Witnesses IRA J. WILSON, M, A. KIDDIE. 

